[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-overthrowing-han":3,"chapter-overthrowing-han-overthrowing-han-chapter-313":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Overthrowing Han",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1223072,1620,"Chapter 313","overthrowing-han-chapter-313",313,"\u003Cp>Under the spring sunlight, led by a few attendants, Lou Gui walked briskly toward the rear courtyard of the General of the Guards’ residence. But what was interesting was that this time, along the way, he did not encounter Gongsun Xun’s eldest daughter, Gongsun Li… It must be understood that the rear courtyard had always been the place where the General of the Guards played with and educated his children, so in the past, when coming here for an audience, one would mostly run into Gongsun Li leading her younger siblings as they skipped and hopped away from the area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, it was truly strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Lou Gui soon understood in his heart, because he came face to face with the General of the Guards’ wife, Lady Zhao Yun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lou Zibo hastily stepped aside to the edge of the path, then bowed slightly in salute, and Lady Zhao also gave a faint smile, but said nothing, and simply walked straight away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zibo came very quickly.” Gongsun Xun was sitting idly on a wooden stool by the pond, and did not turn his head at the sound of movement behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Indeed, somewhat quickly.” Lou Gui cupped his hands behind the other man and smiled. “But your subordinate has some words from the bottom of his heart, and wishes to speak with you, my lord, before Ziheng, Zhicai, and the others do…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is rather interesting… Please, sit.” Gongsun Xun only then turned his head and gestured for the other to take a seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lou Gui did not decline, and sat directly beside Gongsun Xun, but then seemed about to speak, yet hesitated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you not have something to say?” Gongsun Xun could not help but laugh at the sight. “And you even wanted to specifically get ahead of Ziheng and the others… Why are you not speaking now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It is truly that for a moment, I do not know where to begin.” Lou Gui sighed. “Speaking of which, I have followed you, my lord, for over ten years now, have I not?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun was also taken aback: “I thought Zibo wanted to discuss the current situation with me…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The current situation is something someone will always speak of; one more from me makes no difference. But there are some things that I feel no one else will necessarily say, and that is why I wished to discuss them with you, my lord.” Lou Gui flicked his sleeves and sat upright. “My lord, the time I have followed you is second only to Ziheng, so I can be considered one of your trusted confidants, can I not?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That is only natural.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then may I boldly ask, my lord, when did you begin to regard me as a trusted confidant?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is the matter with Zibo today?” Gongsun Xun laughed even more uncontrollably. “Why are your questions so strange?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I thought about it; it should have been after Mount Tanhan, right?” Lou Gui continued, speaking to himself. “My lord, your trust in me clearly increased greatly from that point onward…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After all, we faced life and death together once; from then on, our bond was naturally no longer an ordinary one.” Gongsun Xun did not deny it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But the time I resolved to follow you, my lord, came somewhat later than the time you regarded me as a trusted confidant. Specifically, it was after you, my lord, transferred to become a Gentleman of the Masters of Writing, and we returned to Luoyang together.” Lou Gui sat with his hands folded, smiling slowly. “After all, before that, I had been abducted by you, my lord, and still harbored some dissatisfaction. Moreover, I have always been one to have high ambitions but low abilities… But upon returning to the old place, seeing those old acquaintances in Wan and Luo still indulging in drunken dreams, and those in high positions still holding their posts without doing their duties, it was only then that I recognized you, my lord, as someone who could accomplish great things. I then extinguished all superfluous thoughts and wholeheartedly entrusted my own aspirations to you. And this time, going to Luoyang again, although old friends like Meng De gradually formed their own ambitions, my name and reality have become entangled with you, my lord, and can no longer be severed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun also chuckled softly. At that moment, an attendant flashed into view across from them, clearly trying to report something, but Gongsun Xun raised a hand and waved him away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zibo.” After a brief pause, Gongsun Xun’s expression became somewhat serious. “In saying all this, you mean to advise me not to harbor resentment over the matter of Mo Hu Tan, correct? You mean to say that everyone has their own aspirations; if, after returning from Mount Tanhan but before going to Luoyang, you had left me because of some matter, it would not have been impossible… Is that your meaning? If you truly, mindful of our past bond, wish to preserve Mo Hu Tan’s life, I am not incapable of sparing him, but I absolutely cannot ignore this or leave it unaddressed…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Today, I did not come to advise you, my lord, on whether to kill or spare a single person.” Lou Gui slowly stroked his beard and shook his head. “I merely came to counsel you, my lord… Such matters may well have occurred before Mo Hu Tan, and will inevitably occur after Mo Hu Tan. But regardless, my lord, you should treat everyone equally, and not deviate because of personal feelings.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For example?” Gongsun Xun relaxed his face and asked with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For example, how lenient were you, my lord, toward Jia Wenhe and Cheng Zhongde before? At the Mengjin ferry, how magnanimous were you toward Liu Xuande? And in the future… with Xu Bojin and Lu Fengxian in Luoyang, amidst the treacherous and unfathomable currents, if someone were to issue orders in the name of the central authority, telling them to confront you, my lord, would they truly refuse? And take Zhang Junyi—it was merely the bond of a single battle, a single act of recognizing his worth; he serves the public good sincerely in Jizhou, but in the future, will he necessarily prostrate himself upon seeing you, my lord? And what of Ju Gongyu and Tian Yuanhao? They have repeatedly received courteous treatment from you, my lord, for several years, yet still sit entrenched in Wei Commandery. If in the future these people either drift with the current, or still regard you, my lord, as a man of the border commanderies and abandon you, what then? In all such cases, will you, my lord, be as angry as you are today?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I will not.” Gongsun Xun pondered for a moment, then answered frankly. “Setting aside that everyone has their own aspirations, just considering the sudden arrival of chaotic times, these people may either be unable to control their own actions, or find it hard to discern others’ hearts. The circumstances are laid out before them. I believe that no matter what they choose, as long as there are extenuating circumstances, they should be forgiven… Not to mention them—did I not go out and struggle for a long time this time, only to gain nothing so far because of the changing circumstances? I can only say, unless these people were originally my private vassals and then actively defected to others, I will absolutely not lightly regard anyone as a rebel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord is magnanimous.” Lou Gui sighed slightly. “But my lord, up to this point, Mo Hu Tan and the Mo Hu tribe can at most be described with the two words ‘waiting and watching,’ and that was when you, my lord, had not yet arrived and the situation was unfavorable…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What you say is not without reason, and I also know that there may still be room for maneuver over in Chengde.” Gongsun Xun pondered briefly, and immediately thought of a very obvious reason, one sufficient to convince everyone. “However… people like Jia Wenhe and Liu Xuande are all Han heroes. The biggest problem with Mo Hu Tan is that he is a foreigner. Raised with kindness by my mother and me for over ten years as a foreigner, yet he abandoned me at the first opportunity… Tell me, how could I possibly endure that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then it no longer matters.” Lou Gui said with a serious expression. “I told you, my lord, when I first arrived, that I did not come today to plead for any single person. Rather, I heard that a great change is about to occur in Luo, and that from now on, it may be that an era of great contention has returned to the world. Therefore, I hope that you, my lord, will begin from the bottom of your heart to make plans early, and face the world with the bearing of a sovereign… It is not that you cannot show anger, but you must have an upright and honorable banner; it is not that you cannot show favoritism, but you must do so with some concealment; it is not that you cannot take risks, but you must have sufficient reason and reward… Only thus can victory and defeat follow your will, and you will not betray the aspirations of those years!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun stood up, but did not engage in any theatrics of bowing on the spot… Between the two of them was over a decade of rapport as lord and minister. And from the perspective of ‘comrades in plotting rebellion,’ Lou Gui was perhaps even more steadfast and long-standing than Lu Fan; how could such gestures be necessary?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zibo’s words, I have already taken to heart.” Gongsun Xun rose and spoke frankly. “And I understand your meaning. You mean to say that your aspirations, Lou Zibo, were tied to me, Gongsun Xun, long ago. And not only that, but the million soldiers and commoners of these three commanderies of Guangyang have also entrusted their lives, honor, and disgrace to me… Future matters will be more complex and more arduous. And if I, Gongsun Xun, wish to be a sovereign, I should adjust my mindset early, shoulder my responsibilities, and clearly separate public from private, in order to face the great changes coming to the world.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lou Gui bowed his head slightly in acknowledgment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time the two finished this conversation, it was already noon. They said no more, but walked together toward the main hall of the General of the Guards’ residence in front. As for Gongsun Xun’s trusted subordinates, who had been summoned earlier upon receiving the order, they had long been waiting there under the leadership of Lu Fan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Lou Gui following behind their lord, no one thought much of it, assuming they had been discussing military plans… Besides, with the situation now undergoing such drastic changes, how many people could spare attention for such details?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After everyone had finished their salutations, Lu Fan, as Chief Clerk to the General of the Guards, briefly introduced the situation and bluntly mentioned the Emperor’s physical condition. Immediately, someone could not hold back and stepped forward directly to request to speak… It was none other than Du Ji, Du Bohou, of Jingzhao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bohou, please speak.” Gongsun Xun still held Du Ji in high regard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, although this man’s desire for achievement was somewhat strong, his ability was also truly exceptional. Penal law and public order, financial circulation, pacifying the people’s hearts—he could be said to be proficient in all. Over the past two years, following behind Lu Fan as an assistant, he had managed the affairs of the General’s headquarters and the three commanderies in perfect order.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Correspondingly, although Wang Xiu had previously received the full assistance of Chang Lin, Han Hao, Zao Zhi, and others in Henei, and after arriving in Guangyang, the civilian farming affairs he was responsible for occupied an extremely large proportion of the headquarters’ work, causing the so-called ‘farming faction’ to greatly increase in power… the fact that he still had not been able to suppress Lu Fan again was partly attributable to people like Du Ji.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord.” Returning to the matter at hand, Du Bohou was the first to speak, and his words were crisp and direct, without the slightest reservation. “A great change is about to occur in Luo, yet the court is using your father-in-law to garrison Liaodong, and a heavy-weight imperial clansman to oversee the overall situation in Youzhou… Although either one alone could not shake your overall position, my lord, together they are sufficient to trip you up! The court’s intention to bind you, my lord, in the north, and prevent you from acting on matters in Luo, is practically obvious! I hope you, my lord, will make plans early!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun slowly nodded. He had indeed immediately thought of this aspect as well… If it were just Zhao Bao alone going to Liaodong, he was not afraid, because no matter how much prestige the man held beyond the frontier, he was still half family; he could simply regard it as the other man watching over his home in Liaodong. And if it were just Liu Yu coming alone, he was also not afraid, because he, Gongsun Xun, was not like that eldest brother in his mother’s stories who had no political foundation whatsoever. This man’s political prestige was not a necessity for him, the General of the Guards; he could simply sideline him and leave him there. But for both to come at once, this was somewhat troublesome. His father-in-law still possessed a measure of foolish loyalty, and Liu Yu was a publicly acknowledged imperial clansman entrusted with the state. The two combined, one with reputation and one with substance, one with authority and one with prestige, might truly be able to cause him some trouble if they connected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In that case,” Gongsun Xun pondered briefly, then asked directly, “what does Bohou think should be done in response?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your subordinate has only one word.” Du Ji answered loftily. “I ask you, my lord, to act with ‘speed’!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How does one act with ‘speed’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It is very simple,” Du Ji still stood firm in the hall, raising his voice. “Whether you, my lord, wish to first stabilize the situation beyond the frontier and then attend to matters in Luo, or first attend to matters in Luo and then gradually deal with matters beyond the frontier, you must act with all haste… If you wish to go to Luoyang, I ask you, my lord, not to wait for any tally of authority to arrive, nor to wait for the Governor of Youzhou to take office. Instead, you should take advantage of the time before they arrive to ride south with light cavalry, straight to Luoyang. And if you wish to quell the rebellion, you, my lord, should also immediately raise troops, first seizing control of the troops of the several commanderies within the frontier, so that when the Governor of Youzhou arrives to take office, he cannot easily intervene or interfere!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun did not answer directly, but turned to look at Lu Fan, who was seated to his left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected, Lu Ziheng, seeing this, did not hesitate, but immediately rose and voiced his seconding of the proposal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately, a large number of the attendant civil officials who managed affairs at the Changping headquarters rose one after another to express their agreement… It was very clear that these people had communicated beforehand. Or rather, although these people might not have been as certain as Lou Gui that the world was about to enter an era of great contention, their basic political sensitivity still made them universally realize that the time for Gongsun Xun’s meteoric rise had arrived!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, speaking specifically of the true intentions of Lu Fan, Du Ji, and the others, they probably still wanted to follow Gongsun Xun to Luoyang. After all, that was currently the universally acknowledged source of power in the world. And the reason they did not directly suggest this, but instead let Gongsun Xun decide whether to go to Luoyang or go beyond the frontier to quell the rebellion, was that they had to consider the feelings of the locally recruited low-level clerks, and the attitudes of military officers like Cheng Pu and Han Dang, who, though silent, actually wielded considerable influence. At the same time, they also had to take into account the matters over in Liaodong…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, they themselves knew that Gongsun Xun would, nine times out of ten, clean house before going out, so they simply did not bring up that point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a short while, as Gongsun Xun’s gaze shifted to Wang Xiu, Wang Shuzhi, who had remained silent, finally rose to express his stance: “The situation has changed. If the Son of Heaven in the central government is no longer capable, then the Grand General should be honored as supreme. And the Grand General has always been on good terms with you, my lord. Therefore, you, my lord, truly need not be constrained by temporary institutions… Whether to fight or to march, whether to act within or without, all can be done with speed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that everyone in his headquarters was in agreement, Gongsun Xun slowly nodded, then decisively rose and issued his order: “Gentlemen, now that the state is in peril, and I have been entrusted by the central government as a commissioner bearing credentials for this region, I cannot but share the worries of the world… My decision is made. Transmit my order: immediately mobilize the troops of the three commanderies of Guangyang, as well as Youbeiping and Liaoxi commanderies, and divide them according to the military strategy previously discussed by Zibo… Except for ten thousand men to be stationed in Yuyang with Cheng Demou to keep an eye on Chengde, all the rest are to follow me and assemble at Lulong Fortress!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one dared to be negligent, and all bowed in acknowledgment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Xun paused, then continued: “Let all other commandants and chief clerks of these five commanderies, except for Cheng Demou, come under my command and report to Lulong Fortress for orders. Also, let the Grand Administrators of the five commanderies all go to Fanyang to receive the Emperor’s staff of authority on my behalf, and to welcome the soon-to-arrive Governor of Youzhou, Lord Liu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was openly demanding that the five Grand Administrators submit to his arrangements as General of the Guards, and hand over all the troops and governing authority of the five commanderies. Hearing these words, the people in the hall bowed their heads even lower and hurriedly acknowledged the order.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As for the two commanderies of Zhongshan and Changshan, which the Son of Heaven has granted me additional authority over, in this haste, there is no need for them to mobilize large numbers of troops; let them do their best.” Gongsun Xun said finally. “If the rear truly lacks able-bodied men, you may naturally summon them in the name of the General of the Guards’ headquarters. However, the two commanderies of Dai and Shanggu, on one hand, need to guard the border walls against the Xianbei, and on the other, need to monitor the local Wuhuan tribes… Not only is there no need to mobilize them, but the Colonel Protecting the Wuhuan, Gongqi Chou, must immediately return with his troops to garrison them. As for the matter of Liaoxi, I, Gongsun Xun, will naturally bear it with all my strength for the homeland of Youzhou.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, everyone bowed their heads even lower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, in the second month of the sixth year of Zhongping of Han, as the spring plowing was barely completed, and with the sudden change in the Luoyang situation, Gongsun Xun actually seized the initiative before the staff of authority arrived and before Liu Yu took office, directly ordering the mobilization of five commanderies of Youzhou, preparing for a large-scale expedition beyond the frontier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the fifteenth day of the second month, when Liu Yu, who had been traveling at full speed, and the accompanying imperial envoy arrived at Dukang Station under Fanyang’s jurisdiction at the southernmost part of Youzhou, they were met by five Grand Administrators who had crossed their borders to welcome them. And at this time, the General of the Guards, Gongsun Xun, had already led all six hundred of his personal volunteer riders, traveling light, to Lulong Fortress, a place he was thoroughly familiar with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside Lulong Fortress lay the fallen Liaoxi corridor and tens of thousands of rebels of unknown strength. Inside Lulong Fortress was Gao Shun and his three thousand troops, who had been stationed there earlier. Below Lulong Fortress were the five thousand soldiers from Liaoxi and Youbeiping commanderies who had arrived in the earlier phase… And simultaneously, large numbers of farmers from the five commanderies who had just finished spring plowing, and even men of good families and sons of powerful clans from a wider area, were streaming in endlessly to assemble here. Military provisions, warhorses, and all sorts of countless supplies were also slowly being concentrated here under the unified dispatch from Changping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a time, inside and outside Lulong Fortress in the spring, the clouds of war gathered thickly. And it was very clear that Gongsun Xun had made up his mind to bring this ‘predestined’ rebellion to an end in a certain ‘predestined manner’!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some words, even to someone as close as Lu Fan, he would not speak aloud. Some feelings, even after Lou Gui’s rare and earnest counsel, he would not so easily let go… In truth, it was not only Xi Zhong who harbored resentment this time. Gongsun Xun himself, having gone to Luo, made various efforts, fought a bitter battle, yet returned with nothing accomplished—how could his own heart not be somewhat furious and ashamed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since that is the case, he is naturally filled with indignation!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——————I am the dividing line ordained by Heaven——————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"At the end of the Zhongping era, the Wuhuan of Liaoxi rebelled, raising tens of thousands of troops to cut off Youzhou, and furthermore acclaimed the Yuyang magnate Zhang Ju as Son of Heaven. The central court deemed this a grave concern, and thus appointed the Grand Ancestor with the Staff of Authority to oversee the commanderies within the passes, and the General of the Right, Zhao Bao, with the Staff of Authority to cross the sea to Liaodong and oversee the commanderies beyond the passes; they also appointed the Director of the Imperial Clan, Liu Yu, as Governor of Youzhou, urging the three to join forces in this endeavor. Not long after, the Son of Heaven in Luoyang fell gravely ill. At that time, the Grand Ancestor was in Changping. Hearing of this, he did not wait for the Provincial Governor, the General of the Right, or the imperial envoy to arrive, but immediately forged an edict and dispatched troops, and none of the two-thousand-bushel officials of the various commanderies dared to disobey.\" — New Book of Yan, Volume 1, Annals of the Grand Ancestor, the Martial Emperor\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Um... everyone's saying the Chinese team has advanced... what does that mean?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also, thank you all for your concern. The stomach acid was relieved fairly quickly after taking Sida Shu... it's just that my mental state is still not good... I'm having trouble concentrating. I hope you'll forgive me, and I'll adjust as quickly as I can... the upcoming plot definitely can't be this muddled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",3930,"2026-06-04T19:42:26.060Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","3452f72a56e6ead7bf4ede3bed39abd007adb3940f3f7e5b34199169fb6242da","overthrowing-han-chapter-314","overthrowing-han-chapter-312",548,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Foverthrowing-han-cover.jpg"]